Hi, all, I just bought some blue quartz beads from my local rock
shop. They are very pretty, but don’t look like a natural color to
me. The dealer said, "If they were dyed, they wouldn’t be in here!"
Similar beads in Rio are marked “dyed”. What do you folks know about
blue quartz? They are medium blue, similar to a darker topaz. I have
always had a very high opinion of this dealer, and would hate to
find that he is either less competent or less honest than I thought!
Plus, of course, I don’t want to mislead my customers (who, by the
way, seem to eagerly buy almost anything blue!) Thanks for any
help-- including any hints on how to test directly for dye, if
possible.
Yes Quartz or Chalcedony as it should be referred to, can be Natural
or Dyed blue in color. The color is generally a very light to
medium powder blue.
If in doubt about the dealer you are working with you should look
elsewhere.
As for how to present your Blue Chalcedony to your customers, unless
you are sure you are selling a natural color gem, you should present
it to the customer with the knowledge that this type of Gemstone is
known to be dyed.
Some Gemstones are known to be sold only as Natural Color, while
some are known to always be treated, and then there are those
Gemstones that sometimes are and sometimes are not treated.
I realize that dealers that are selling low value items may not see
the need for education but I highly recommend anyone that is dealing
in Gemstones, should become a Gemologist. You are either dealing in
a product because you love it and believe in it or you are just in
it to make money. If you love what you are doing than the thirst for
knowledge should never end.
There are many schools and good books on the subject of Minerals and
Gemstones. Learn as much as you can, not only for the pleasure of
it but also to protect yourself from a possible lawsuit.
I took my courses through the Gemological Institute of America (
G.I.A.) and I highly recommend them as the place to learn about this
wonderful business we are in
Assist others in searching for the right school. we welcome your
education experience with the GIA.
I was under the opinion that blue quartz was called topaz lol That
topaz(a quartz) had to be treated to produce blue …so this natural
blue quartz confuses me…
The dealer said, "If they were dyed, they wouldn't be in here!"
Similar beads in Rio are marked "dyed". What do you folks know
about blue quartz? Thanks for any help-- including any hints on how
to test directly for dye, if possible.
Hi Noel. Natural blue quartz is so rare that many believe it never
occurs naturally. There is a variety of quartz that occurs with blue
Dumortierite inclusions, which makes the quartz appear blue. It is
possible that your beads are Dumortierite included.
Usually, quartz is subjected to a treatment called “quench
crackling” to color it. First, the stones are heated, then quenched
in dye. The result looks much like the term used to describe the
process. Under magnification, you’ll see lots of cracks with dye
concentrations in them if your material has been subjected to this
kind of treatment, which is also referred to as “dyeing.” If you’ve
a good eye, a 10X loupe might be enough magnification to tell.
If you’re still not certain, contact me off-list if you like. I’d
have no problem taking a look.
Hi, M. Dubois, No, my beads don’t look like the stones on Creative
Gems. They are translucent with some white banding and/or darker
swirls. They look pretty much like agate, except for the odd color.
One way to tell some dyed pieces is to wash them in cold water (in a
white sink or pan so you can see any color left in the water) and lay
them on a white paper towel - often (but not always) dyed pieces will
"bleed" excess dye either in the wash water, or onto the paper towel.
One way to tell some dyed pieces is to wash them in cold water
(in a white sink or pan so you can see any color left in the
water) and lay them on a white paper towel - often (but not always)
dyed pieces will "bleed" excess dye either in the wash water, or
onto the paper towel.
That is a great suggestion. The gemstone beads that seem to “bleed”
most are blue quartz and garnet (in my experience).
There is a variety of facet grade blue quartz. I have seen it and
tested the RI. I have no doubt that it is real in that the body
color is blue and it is trasnparent. Memory tells me that the
Russians were creating this material over 25 years ago.
They are translucent with some white banding and/or darker
swirls. They look pretty much like agate, except for the odd color.
This description does sound like agate. They could be a natural
blue, such as Holly Blue Agate or possibly Blue Lace Agate. The
simplest way to check for dye is still magnification. Check for dye
concentrations between the layers. Often, a very unusual hue is a
good tip-off.
I would imagine that there are some materials that may bleed their
color as you suggest but Dyed Quartz or Chalcedony is not one of
them. Black onyx has been dyed for hundreds of years and the color
is permanent as is blue Chalcedony.
I am curious to know what dyed gemstones you have placed in cold
water and seen the dye?
TOPAZ is a totally different mineral from quartz. This is the kind
of misunderstanding that happens when dealers are allowed to sell
smoky quartz as “smoky topaz”. May those misleading twerps buy
yellow aragonite as “aged cheese” and suffer the consequences.
I was under the opinion that blue quartz was called topaz lol
That topaz(a quartz) had to be treated to produce blue ...so this
natural blue quartz confuses me...
Topaz is NOT a quartz! It is an entirely different mineral. Blue
topaz is indeed treated (heat and radiation), but it starts life as
white or brown topaz (not any kind of quartz). Blue quartz is either
natural (uncommon) or dyed (usually), as previously discussed on this
thread. There are, by the way, occurrences of natural blue topaz as
well; in these cases, the “treatments” were done by nature (sun and
earth).
I was under the opinion that blue quartz was called topaz lol
That topaz(a quartz) had to be treated to produce blue ...so this
natural blue quartz confuses me..
Teri - Topaz is a neosilicate, hydrous aluminum silicate. (Note
that quartz is silicon dioxide)
That is a great suggestion. The gemstone beads that seem to
"bleed" most are blue quartz and garnet (in my experience).
Well, my beads did not “bleed”. Under a 10X loupe, they are full of
tiny cracks, many in star-burst type patterns, but these do not
appear to contain color. I guess I will tell my customers that they
were sold to me as natural color, and that I have not been able to
absolutely prove or disprove that.
